For Justice, Romance, and Good Health
by PastaWar19
Summary: The Sohmas can't really avoid the curse so easily, but can they avoid love? Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame decide to help everyone in their love lives- the Mabudachi way. Case1: YukiMachi, Case2: KurenoArisa, Cases3-9: Coming Soon. Mabudachi-centric fic.
1. Case One: Yuki and Machi Introduction

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **Welcome. I've been expecting you to read my story. It is your destiny. Anyway, I have to tell you that I don't own Furuba, Yuki and Machi, or the Mabudachi Trio. Only the plot is mine. Remember that throughout your journey. Now, go and venture onwards, towards the right path of destiny, which is to read my story!! You are the chosen one... Enjoy!! ^_^

* * *

Introduction

Yuki Sohma came home from school, exhausted. Since he was the student council president, he had a whole lot more to do than Tohru and Kyo, which resulted in him going home later than they did.

When he got home, he found Tohru Honda ready with food on the table, which made him rather pleased and content. Sadly, fate was leading him down another path, far from contentment and satiation.

Kyo Sohma, the cat of the Zodiac, had just entered the room with a scowl on his face. Sending a nasty glare at Yuki, he sat down beside Tohru.

Another thing that added to his already terrible day was that the Mabudachi Trio had just come home from who knows where.

"Ah, the kids are home. How was school today?" Shigure Sohma asked, grinning as he entered his house. Ayame Sohma flashed his famous smile at the three while Hatori Sohma followed behind the two, simply waving.

"School was just fine, but they're piling a lot of projects and homework on us…" Tohru answered, smiling at the three men. Kyo looked away uncaringly, not bothering to be polite.

Ayame put an arm around Shigure's shoulder. "We managed to do well when we were at school. We didn't really get top-of-the-class grades, but it was cool. You should follow our footsteps and-"

"You two only survived because I let you copy my notes," Hatori cut off quietly, with a smug smirk on his face.

"We give you full credit, of course, Haa-san…" Shigure said, laughing.

Yuki couldn't handle the noise and left the room with a slight headache. As he opened the door leading to the hall, he heard Kyo ask, "Why are you all here, anyway? I thought only four people lived in this house."

"Well, when you were at school, Ayame came over to say hi and then we went to the main house, since I had to talk to Akito about something. Then, we met up with Hatori and hung around a bit over at his house. You know the rest. We decided to go back here. Besides, you have to give Yuki his check-up, right, Haa-san?"

"Oh right, thank you for reminding me, Shigure," Hatori replied, and Yuki stopped and turned, knowing that he couldn't escape the check-up.

During the check-up, Hatori told him to do the usual while Ayame watched, chattering away. This definitely did not help his headache, and Hatori advised him to get more sleep.

Yuki nodded and left the room quickly, going to his room and instantly laying down on the bed to sleep. The last thing he heard was Shigure and Ayame with their usual pretending-to-be-a-couple banter.

An hour later, Tohru woke him up, knocking on his door and saying, "Yuki? Machi-san is on the phone for you."

Yuki lifted his head from his pillow and stood up hastily, opening the door and getting the phone. He walked outside and saw Kyo sending him another glare, most probably blaming him for something he didn't do.

The cool night air calmed him as he went outside, finally answering, "Hello? Machi?"

On the other line, Machi said, "Hello Yuki. I just wanted to ask you if you had the files Kakeru gave me this afternoon."

"Yes, I'm sure I do," he said, not noticing Shigure and Ayame peeking at him from the door. Hatori was behind them, shaking his head at his friends' lack of respect for privacy. "WHAT? I left them at school? No, I'm sure I-"

There was a small moment of silence as Machi spoke to him on the other line. Yuki sighed, remembering that he planned to give the few files back to her but then left them on his table, completely forgetting about them. "Right. I'll be sure to have them tomorrow, I promise. Yes, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Machi. Goodbye."

Yuki clicked End Call on the cordless phone and entered the door again. "My little brother has a girlfriend calling him every night now, hmm?" Ayame said, putting an arm gracefully around Yuki's shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me? I'm sure I could-"

"She is not my girlfriend…" Yuki attempted to say.

"I know all about young love like yours. Well, I do understand that I can't visit all the time and give you advice, but you could have told Gure-san too! We're always here to help you in times of trouble. Romance is-"

"Something you don't need to help me with."

"Nonsense! I think you're actually a bit lonely, my little brother."

"I am not lonely."

"You need a special someone to brighten your day, to bring light in that endless, dark tunnel that engulfs you in the depths of solitude and isolation. An elegant flower that outshines all the weeds and dead leaves littered in the garden that is your long life ahead. You see, Yuki-"

"No, Ayame, I don't need any girlfriend to make me happy. Now, why don't you go home and make clothes or something?"

"Ah, but Yuki, my dear brother-"

"Anyway!!" Shigure cut off loudly, grinning as he put down his third bottle of beer, "We should just leave Yuki to call back his girlfriend and celebrate his progress in his life of romance!"

Yuki raised his eyebrows, inquiring curiously, "Progress in my life of romance?"

Shigure nodded proudly. "Yep. You already gave her your number, and I'm sure she gave you her number too. Phone sex is quite effective for young-"

"Stupid dog! Keep the conversation going without saying anything vulgar, will you?!" Kyo interrupted, standing. Tohru attempted to calm him down while Shigure answered, "Fine. How about-"

"For once, I agree with the idiotic cat. Let's just eat, please."

Shigure and Ayame exchanged mischievous glances as Tohru and Kyo started talking, Yuki getting food silently and thinking about something else.

Hatori noticed them and wondered what they were planning this time.

After dinner, Shigure went outside to see Hatori and Ayame off. Before they could go inside the car, Hatori asked suspiciously, "Both of you were looking at each other during dinner as if you were planning something. Now, tell me, what is it?"

"What are you talking about, Tori?" Ayame asked innocently, batting his eyelashes and pretending to look confused.

Hatori frowned. "You know what I'm talking about. I know you two so well that I know when you're planning something or not. Now, tell me."

Ayame laughed as Shigure replied, "Well, have you noticed how lonely Yuki is these days?"

Hatori nodded. Shigure continued, "Aaya and I decided to do something. We're planning to get Yuki and this Machi Kuragi girl together. It's good for him since he's lonely. He has Tohru as a sister figure but he needs a girl."

"So you two want to step up and be matchmakers or something?"

"Yep!"

"…" Hatori didn't say anything as Shigure and Ayame high-fived. He then added, "I think what you're planning is ridiculous. There is no way Yuki would let you help him."

Ayame answered with an excited spark in his eyes, "Who said we had to let him know we were helping?"

"Yeah. We're helping him behind the scenes. And when he finds himself in that happy ending with the girl in his arms, realizing that we helped him all along, he'll have to thank us."

"And acknowledge me as a brilliant older brother too!"

"Do you want to help us, Haa-san?"

Hatori stared at his two grinning friends. He knew there was no way this plan would ever be sane. But for the sake of Yuki and spending spare time productively, he'll do it.

"Fine. I'm in."

Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame looked at each other, thinking how the hell they could possibly accomplish this. It was some sort of matchmaking service, or romantic psychological help.

Shigure raised his fist, exclaiming, "For justice!"

Ayame smirked as he yelled, "For romance!"

The two looked at Hatori expectantly, who uneasily said, "For… good health?"

Shigure laughed as he and Ayame cheered loudly. Hatori shook his head, thinking that he would never understand how his friends' minds worked.

The three departed and as Ayame stared back at Shigure's form going back inside the house, he muttered to himself, "And for Yuki too…"

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_You have accomplished part of your destiny!! Now that you have read the story, you need to do the next step. REVIEW. Please? I worked hard on this!! In the beginning of time, a plot bunny jumped into my head, and the idea of the Mabudachi Trio setting Yuki and Machi up together seemed brilliant to me so I published this story. It is your destiny to review and/or favorite and/or alert!! PLEASE. :)_

_-Pasta W 19_**_. _**_  
_


	2. Case One Yuki & Machi: Part 1 Shigure

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **Hey. In case you're wondering, this fic takes place a short time after the Sorta Cinderella play. Oh yeah- this fic is mainly based on the manga so if you haven't read volumes 15 onwards, then I suggest you don't read this. If you want spoilers, though, then it's up to you. Anyway, I know the introduction was really short so that's why I tried to make this chapter as long as possible.

Hopefully, everyone enjoys this. I do not own Furuba because Natsuki Takaya does. Now, read!! :D

* * *

Case One: Yuki and Machi

Part One: Shigure

Shigure Sohma walked into the dining room, instantly seeing Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki eating their breakfast. He yawned to make his presence heard.

"Shigure-san! It's time for breakfast; aren't you hungry?" Tohru said immediately as soon as the dog spirit walked inside, "We're going to be late so if you get hungry, your breakfast is just here."

She bolted upstairs to get her bag, which she had almost forgotten, while Yuki and Kyo stood waiting for her, trying not to look at each other. Shigure innocently ate his breakfast, not really feeling very hungry, but getting rather excited for what he was about to do that day.

Kyo impatiently went outside, not wanting to stand next to the rat spirit any longer. A few minutes later, Tohru ran back to the room and exclaimed, "I'm sorry for making everyone late; let's go!!"

She grabbed Yuki's hand and waved a hasty goodbye to Shigure. When nobody was in the room, he sighed, pushed away his bowl, and stood up, wondering how to turn into a dog as soon as possible.

He and Ayame hurriedly made plans to get Yuki and Machi together, which took one day. They urged Hatori to be more helpful, but the poor dragon spirit insisted that the plan would turn out to be a failure, regretting his affirmative response when they asked him to join their plans the previous night.

Anyway, one thing that they forgot to clear out was how to turn Shigure into a dog in order to be able to follow Yuki to school that day. One thing was clear: he couldn't hug Tohru because she would end up rather surprised and Yuki would end up suspicious. Another thing was that he couldn't make himself sick, hurt, or weak on purpose just to turn into a dog. That would be rather masochistic.

Then it hit him. All he had to do was go to the school, look for an unsuspecting (and hot) high school girl- then hug her! Well, he'd have to hug her from behind, turn into a dog, pick up his clothes, and run away, though. Shigure felt proud of himself. He was able to find a way to help Yuki and check out high school girls at the same time.

"High school girls! One two three! High school girls! All for me!" Shigure chanted to himself as he went out of his house and set off to do his task.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Ayame costume shop, Ayame was making a dress. He finished and lifted it up, looking at the finished product. Suddenly, Mine Kuramae entered and squealed. The snake spirit turned around and grinned at her amazed expression.

"Ayame, that is one of the best you've ever made!" She said, grabbing it and scanning it from sleeve to hem.

"I know. Thank you."

Ayame stood up and patted her on the head, smiling fondly at her faint blush. He went out of the room and swiftly grabbed his phone from his pocket, flipping it open. He selected an ever-too-familiar cell number and smirked as an ever-too-familiar voice answered.

"You were supposed to call Shigure twenty minutes ago."

"What kind of greeting is that, Hatori?" Ayame said, laughing.

Hatori growled, "It's a greeting that has 'Why the hell are you calling me?!' written all over it. Now, put down the phone and call Shigure."

"You must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. Or maybe you just need to get more sleep," Ayame commented, "I just wanted to say good morning!"

"Listen, I'm not part of the first stage of the plan so we're not accomplishing anything for your brother by doing this. Now, put down the phone."

Ayame smiled, ending the call, and selected another familiar name. The phone rang for a few times and then was answered by none other than the spirit of the dog.

"Aaya!! What took you so long? Is someone there keeping you busy?" Shigure said, feigning hurt and concern.

"Of course not, my dear Shigure. Only you are truly worthy enough to keep me busy, and none other."

The two laughed at their small conversation and Shigure replied, this time with a slightly more serious tone, "Anyway, kidding aside, what really took you so long?"

"Well, I had to finish this beautiful piece that I was making for Mine. I haven't made her something for a long time."

"I see. You have terrible timing. I was about to hug a hot high school girl from behind to turn into a dog but then you called."

Ayame laughed, knowing very well about Shigure's obsession with high school girls. He pushed aside funny memories and said, "So, were you able to find a picture of Machi Kuragi in Yuki's stuff?"

"It was easy enough. I just went through his school bag and found one of the whole student council. Apparently, they all signed the back of the photograph so I saw that the shy, pretty girl beside Yuki is Machi Kuragi," Shigure answered triumphantly, eyeing a girl on a bike, whose mini skirt just flew up due to a sudden hump on the road. She screamed, pedaling as fast as she could away from the guffawing high school boys nearby. Shigure chuckled.

"Good. Just look for the girl and lead her to Yuki or something. Make sure something interesting happens between them."

"Why can't I do this as a human?"

"Because Hatori said it wouldn't work and that Yuki would kill you."

There was a small pause before Shigure said, "Right."

After a while, the two ended the call and Shigure went on choosing a high school girl. After a few minutes, he wasn't able to find the perfect girl yet and thought that high school girls these days weren't as pretty as before.

Shigure Sohma, the black-haired, dark-eyed, 178 cm-tall dog spirit of the Zodiac, spoke too soon. A group of hot girls suddenly walked by, giggling and gossiping to each other. Most of them noticed Shigure standing by and whispered to each other instantly when he winked and flashed them a smile.

He walked away, behind a tree to avoid their glances. Not taking his eyes off them, he took off his jacket to make it easier for him to pick up his clothes later. He waited for his chance. One of the girls dropped her bag and told the others to go ahead as she picked up her things. Shigure smirked, slowly walking up to her and hugging her quickly, turning into a dog. He picked up his fallen clothes and ran off before the girl could turn around in surprise.

Shigure sighed in relief as the girl didn't notice him scamper behind the tree. He put his clothes next to the slightly hidden, ground submerged roots of the tree, not wanting to carry them around the whole time.

In case he would turn into a human again, he brought with him his coat. Then, he ran off to find Machi Kuragi.

* * *

Yuki Sohma went out of the classroom to take his lunch break, telling Tohru, Kyo, Hatsuharu, and Momiji that he had to talk to a few members of the student council. While they walked off to their usual eating place, Yuki went to find Kakeru Manabe, Machi Kuragi, Kimi Toudou, and Naohito Sakuragi.

He soon found Kakeru, Kimi, and Naohito in the council room, eating lunch and talking loudly.

"Yun-Yun!!" Kakeru greeted, "What's up?"

Yuki gritted his teeth and hissed, "Don't call me that! Anyway, where's Machi?"

"Machi? She most probably might be wandering around the school at this time," he answered. Kimi and Naohito started arguing about something and he whispered, "She broke another box of chalk again. You should talk to her and give her the files from yesterday; she's depressed."

Yuki nodded, getting the papers from his table and setting out to look for Machi. He looked out the window and saw a group of junior boys playing Frisbee, a teacher scolding two students, and a pretty girl petting a dog under a tree.

Wait- a pretty girl petting a dog under a tree? He stared back at the girl and recognized Machi. She was kneeling down and looked like she was feeding the stray dog. He was instantly reminded of her gentle kindness and felt sad that people whispered behind her back. Remembering the files he was supposed to give, he ran off to the school grounds.

* * *

"Machi! Why did you push off this box of chalk from the table?" a girl reprimanded, staring at the broken pieces of chalk, "You know you shouldn't do that because every single time there's new chalk, you have to break it!! Seriously!!"

Machi looked down at her feet, ashamed that she wasn't able to control herself. Yuki was already trying to help her and was very kind to her yet she couldn't do something as simple as not breaking chalk.

"I'm sorry…"

The girl sighed and said softly, "It's fine but this time, I'm not buying the new chalk. You are. And use your own money, will you?"

"Y-yes…"

She was then left alone in the room; the girl and her friend had gone off to eat. She then started cleaning the mess she made and after doing so, promptly ran off to eat.

The council room was most likely filled with all the council members except her but she didn't feel like showing her face to anyone that day. Machi decided to eat outside under a small tree or something, so she went to the school grounds, thinking about Yuki Sohma.

When she went to a rather hidden and decent tree, she sat down and started eating her food. Suddenly, she heard a soft running sound. Turning around, she saw a dog bounding towards her.

The dog was big and black, and the thing that was strange about it was that it had a coat draped over its back. Machi screamed and edged away from the dog, which was now sniffing the grass. It barked and eyed the sushi Machi had in between her two chopsticks. She noticed this and whispered, "You want this? Alright, I'll give it to you, but then you'll have to leave. People will think that I brought you here to school as a pet, which isn't allowed unless I have special permission…"

She held out her hand with two pieces of sushi in it. The dog sniffed her hand, hungrily ate the pieces and sat down devouring the food while Machi laughed at its cuteness. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name.

"Machi!"

She turned and saw Yuki Sohma running towards her with papers in his hand. He stopped right before her, panting, and said, "Machi, I was looking for you and then I saw you from the window… What are you doing with that dog?"

"I was just feeding it because it seemed hungry," Machi replied, smiling as the dog finished its food. It stared expectantly at her while Yuki laughed.

"It now thinks you're its new friend. You fed it and now it's asking for more," he explained as Machi looked confused at his laugh.

Yuki stared at the dog, which looked a bit familiar to him. Its black fur, huge shape, and cute, deceiving face…

He snapped out of his thoughts when Machi patted the dog on the head and said, "But I don't have any more food. The last pieces here are for me, and I don't want to give them away."

The dog first seemed to understand, but then whined, staring at Yuki and Machi with puppy-dog eyes. They both laughed, thinking it was very cute, but the dog looked like it was rather annoyed.

Yuki picked up the coat on its back and said, "You remind me of this dog I have at home. It loves using puppy-dog eyes as its weapon and acts like a human." The dog stared inquisitively up at him while he stared down at it suspiciously.

Machi stood up, thinking that it was time to go. She finished off her food and said, "Anyway, where are the papers you had to give to me?"

"They're here."

He handed them to her and Shigure the dog looked at them mischievously. He jumped up and grabbed the files, running not too far off. Yuki and Machi stared at him as he wagged his tail, papers in mouth. They both ran off, beginning a wild chase as he led them towards a small group of trees on the outskirts of the school grounds.

Yuki said softly, "Come on, little dog… We need those papers and we don't want to be late for our next class…"

Shigure felt like screaming "HELL NO!" back at him but held back, barking instead and running off to this tree with big roots. He easily jumped over them and then wagged his tail successfully as Yuki and Machi tripped over them, falling to the ground.

He walked nearer as he saw the position they were in. Machi was sprawled on the ground, while Yuki was beside her, also lying down. He noticed their close position and edged himself away from her, for fear of turning into a rat.

Machi blushed. "C-can you help me up?"

Yuki stood up hastily and helped her up carefully and self-consciously. Shigure decided to give them the papers and set them on the ground before him. Yuki snatched them and eyed the dog distastefully.

"I thought that the dog I have at home is the worst in the world, but you can actually match up to him if you try hard… Very hard," he muttered as Machi giggled. Shigure felt like shouting out indignantly but just glared at Yuki.

"I would like to see your dog. He seems really… interesting," Machi said as they both walked back to the school building. Shigure followed, wanting to hear more.

They both started talking about the chalk incident a while ago, while Shigure listened, realizing that Machi Kuragi had Atelophobia, the fear of perfection. Yuki realized that the dog was still following them and put the coat over it, Machi saying, "Run off and find your owner; we have to go back to class."

Shigure grinned while the two ran off, leaving him. He then ran off towards the exit and slipped outside, panting. Before he could turn into a human, he went behind the tree he was hiding behind and found his clothes.

Suddenly, there was a small poof as he turned into a human, naked. He quickly put on his clothes before anyone could see him and walked off as if he just happened to pass by the school.

* * *

Hatori Sohma sighed as he tried to call Shigure for the third time. As he listened to the phone ring, he almost ended the call but decided to wait, remembering that the third time's almost always the charm.

Coincidentally, Shigure actually answered, "Haa-san!"

"Shigure," Hatori said, relieved, "I was thinking that you might have gotten caught when you didn't answer my calls."

"Have more faith in me, will you? Doubting my abilities is always a mistake."

"Yes, whatever," Hatori said. He heard a small beep and realized that someone else was calling him, "Wait, I have another call."

"Tori-san!!"

"Ayame. Shigure's on the other line. I'll put you on, just wait."

There was a small click and Shigure found Ayame joining them in a three-way conference call.

"Gure!!"

"Aaya!!"

Hatori grinned and continued, "Shigure, explain what else happened. So how did it go? Did Yuki actually recognize you?"

Shigure laughed and said, "Surprisingly not. He looked suspiciously at me in a few awkward moments but then I don't think he knew it was me. Machi's actually a really nice girl too. She has Atelophobia but is absolutely in love with dear Yuki."

"Atelophobia?" Hatori said, slightly surprised, "You mean the fear of perfection?"

"Yeah."

Ayame said, "My dear brother's helping her cope, hmm? She really must appreciate him so much."

Hatori chuckled. "It's a surprise she isn't scared of the ever-so-perfect Yuki. Why do you think they call him the prince?"

"Because he's my brother!"

"Anyway, I saw lots of high school girls!!" Shigure said excitedly. Hatori rolled his eyes while Ayame smirked. "Machi fed me sushi that she prepared by herself. I heard her tell Yuki. She's good, but not perfect enough, though. Hopefully, she'd be a great housewife."

"Housewife? She has Atelophobia, Shigure. People who have that have the tendency to destroy things that look too… perfect," Hatori explained patiently, "What else happened?"

Shigure answered, "Well, I did snatch these important council papers and they had to chase me around the school grounds."

"You snatched important council papers?"

"That isn't part of the pla-"

"I know, I know," he cut off, reaching his house and opening the door, "But they tripped over a huge tree root and they both fell. It would have been brilliant if they had kissed."

Ayame laughed while Hatori commented, "I'm not surprised you made something like that happen. Don't forget that Yuki could have turned into a rat, though..."

"Well, he didn't, and what happened already happened."

"You are such a sly dog, Shigure-kun…" Ayame said coquettishly, grinning as Shigure replied, "I know, Ayame-chan. You want me to trip you over a tree root the next time we see each other? I must say, my kissing abilities have improved a lot-"

"Okay, that's enough. You're making me sick," Hatori cut off, before Ayame could reply an even more seductive answer, "Now, when Yuki reaches home, what happens then?"

Shigure frowned. "Well, I just have to act that nothing extraordinary happened to me. The high school girls, the sushi, the papers, and everything…"

Ayame added mysteriously, "And so begins our next part of the plan."

He and Shigure laughed while Hatori asked, confused, "Wait- I don't know about this part. What's going to happen?"

"Ah, Haa-san… We'll tell you all about it. The good thing is that you're the one carrying this plan out, so you better make it good."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Hatori asked himself as his two friends started explaining the next stage of the plan.

Soon after, the three ended the conference.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **I really wonder if someone's actually reading this... I don't think so... Well, if people start reviewing, then maybe- just maybe- I'll be happy. ^_^ So please review and/or favorite and/or alert!! Anyway, I would like to thank Kumajirou17 for supporting me in this project, and also congratulations to Corsiva Vyrae for finding me in fanfiction. She was searching all over FF just to look for me... XD Well, I just want to tell everyone that since Case One is Yuki and Machi, there will be Cases Two until Seven or Eight. :)  
_

-Pasta W 19.


	3. Case One Yuki & Machi: Part 2 Hatori

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **I like this chapter a lot. It's so fun to make Hatori do things he doesn't want to do. I don't own Furuba or any of the characters, by the way. Well, I really wish people are actually reading this. It's rather frustrating, actually. Anyway, here's Part Two of Case One!! Enjoy!! :)

* * *

Case One: Yuki and Machi

Part Two: Hatori

"Hey! Idiot rat! The phone's for you!"

Yuki Sohma looked up blankly as Kyo Sohma, his cousin and the cat of the Zodiac curse, barged in his room less than happy.

Yuki was already having a great Wednesday, getting perfect in two quizzes and arriving home early for the first time of the week. Now, his stupid cat-possessed cousin had to destroy all that.

Kyo threw the phone on the bed and stormed off. Yuki called after him, "You should learn to control your temper, stupid cat. Just because you had to bring the phone to my room doesn't mean-"

"I DON'T CARE! JUST TALK TO YOUR STUPID GIRLFRIEND ALREADY!"

Yuki stared at the phone. Girlfriend? He reached out for it, thinking that it might be- no, but it couldn't. She wasn't the type who would call him out of the blue.

"Machi?"

"Ah. Yuki. I heard all the screaming and…"

It was Hatori. Yuki was slightly crestfallen and had half the mind to go outside and kick Kyo out of a window as he thought about Machi Kuragi, his friend, student council treasurer, his best friend Kakeru Manabe's half-sister, and his girlfrie- Wait, no! What was he thinking?!

Hatori's voice went over the phone to Yuki's ears. "Hello?"

"Hatori. I was just, umm, studying…"

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry for interrupting but I really need to talk to you," he answered dully, as if he rehearsed his lines over and over again. "Anyway, Shigure had alerted me that maybe the cause of your stress, lack of sleep, and absentmindedness is your love life."

"Yes, I have been stressed out a lot and- Wait, what?" Yuki said then stopped, realizing what the dragon spirit had just said. "Love life?"

Hatori said tonelessly, "Yes, love life. I am aware that you are taking interest in a young lady at your school named… Machi Kuragi?"

Yuki felt his own face darken. "Shigure and Ayame put you up to this, didn't they?"

There was a small silence. Yuki rolled his eyes, knowing that Hatori was almost always caught up in Shigure's and Ayame's schemes.

"I want to help you, not only because of them although they do have good intentions, but because I am concerned for you. So just please, do humor me."

There was a pause. "Alright then."

"Excellent," Hatori mumbled, though Yuki knew that the Sohma family doctor was feeling far from excellent, "I just wanted to remind you to take your vitamins and not to stay up too late… uhh… what's this… ah… fantasizing or dreaming-"

"Yes, yes, I understand," Yuki replied, determined that Hatori must have been reading out of a paper, "I'll make sure to do that."

"Thank you. Now, my personal advice is-"

"_Your _personal advice?"

"Yes, _my _personal advice, and nobody else's," he said impatiently, "Just make sure to be kind to the girl and invite her over to the house or something. Do some special activity with her that she would enjoy… Whatever she likes, whatsoever that may be. Give her a gift; that's effective as well."

Yuki grinned at Hatori's half-hearted tone. "I'll be sure to do those. Well, if I could."

Hatori said, "Good. I just wanted to check on you. Goodbye, Yuki."

"Yes, goodbye, Hatori."

He put down the phone and chuckled, knowing perfectly well that Shigure and Ayame were behind all this. Hatori wouldn't have the nerve to interfere in someone's life, love life in particular.

Tohru's voice suddenly came from the hall, "Yuki! Kyo! It's time to eat!"

Yuki stood up and went outside, almost bumping into Tohru. Kyo just happened to get out of his room and witness the small accident, instantly yelling at Yuki, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TOHRU?!"

After a small exchange of shouts and yells, the fight ended quicker than it usually would, and they all entered the dining room. Shigure was seated on his usual seat, waiting impatiently for the three to sit down.

"Come on, come on. We don't have all night," he said quickly, ushering them to their seats, "Okay! Itadakimasu!!"

Kyo stared at the dog spirit in disgust as he started eating the food hungrily.

"What? I'm hungry!"

All of them ate, someone occasionally saying something that would cause a lot of noise afterwards. When silence finally took over the room, Yuki said, "So, Shigure… What have you been up to?"

Shigure looked up, surprised. "Me? Oh, I've been staying at home, writing the sequel of my book-"

"Have you talked to Hatori or Ayame lately?"

Kyo and Tohru looked at Yuki, confused, as he started staring at Shigure with a knowing look on his face. Shigure replied, almost finished with his food, "I just saw them three days ago. Haven't called them since."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Yuki was doubtful as Shigure stood up, finished with his food. He couldn't help but think that the novelist sounded quite truthful, but realized that this was _Shigure Sohma _he was talking about, and that anything mysterious could be possible with him.

He shook his head, standing up at the same time as Kyo. This immediately made the cat spirit mad, and he tried his best not to lose his temper and smash him through the door. Tohru held them both back, and Kyo abruptly walked off to his room.

* * *

Hatori left Akito's room and walked back to his own room, whipping out his phone from his pocket. He selected a certain number and waited while the phone rang. Just when he reached his room, a loud voice answered, "Haa-san!"

"Shigure."

"I was about to call you when you called me instead," Shigure said, chuckling, "What happened when you called Yuki? Did he tell you anything interesting?"

Hatori snorted as he replied, "Well, when he answered the phone, I had this feeling at the back of my head that our plan was going to fail miserably and-"

"Haa-san!!"

"Fine. And stop calling me that," he snapped impatiently, sitting down on his usual chair, "Anyway, he answered me, thinking that I was Machi. I told him I was Hatori and I couldn't help but notice his slightly disappointed tone afterwards."

Shigure smirked. "Obviously, he likes her."

"I don't think he's going to take my advice, though."

"That's because you weren't acting all sincere and concerned enough!" Shigure whined, remembering how Yuki interrogated him during dinner, "Yuki suspects you, Ayame, and I are contacting each other. You have to make it clear that you're worried about his well-being and-"

"How can I do that when I think this plan is a hundred percent ridiculous failure?!"

"Hatori!"

"You're actually serious about this?"

"Yes!"

Hatori rolled his eyes, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Surely he'll take my advice because I didn't read from the script when I told him that part."

Shigure gasped. "You didn't read the script Ayame and I made?!"

"I was reading it at the part about my being concerned for his love life but I just thought that the advice was too inexplicable," he replied frankly.

He picked up the tiny paper he was reading a few hours ago, "Besides, 'Take her out on a wonderful date full of lovely, romantic surprises. Whisper sweet nothings on days when the night is lonely and dark. Bring her the happiness of a rainbow like that of one that comes after the rain. Give her elegant mementos and tokens of love to remind her that you are always there to hold her hand during times of-'"

Hatori broke off, crumpling the paper and shooting it towards the trash bin. "Seriously, Shigure! What is that nonsense?! I haven't even reached half of it! You think I can tell all _that _to Yuki?!"

Only a laugh could be heard from the other line of the phone. "Look, I just wrote down all I could think of, and Ayame added adjectives and extra words. We were doing our best to make it believably from you."

Hatori said in a dangerously low tone, "Believably from me? Believably from ME?! You two knew me for more than half of your lives and you… you… If you were to make a book on my life, Shigure, I would have been completely dilapidated by then."

Shigure laughed. "Okay, maybe we did get a little carried away, but there's a tiny chance that Yuki would follow that advice."

"Tiny? Miniscule, I'd say…"

"Ah, come on, Haa-san. Have faith in our plans," he replied cheerfully. There was a small silence and he added, "A book on your life, hmm? That wouldn't be half-bad…"

"If you dare write a single sentence on my life, Shigure Sohma, I swear you will die a painful death."

"What's up with you today? You're crankier than before."

Hatori growled and ended the call, feeling a headache starting to form in his head. He decided to sleep early and walked off, leaving his phone on the chair.

* * *

On the other line, Shigure smirked as he heard the monotonous tone of an ended call. He wondered whether Yuki would actually end up following Hatori's advice and lay down on his bed comfortably. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. Only time could tell.

A few rooms away, Yuki was staring outside the window and looking up at the moon and the stars. He remembered Machi telling her once how she sometimes hated the sky.

"_Yuki… Do you like the sky?"_

_Yuki turned and looked oddly at Machi as she stared up at the morning sky. The sun was shining and the clouds were the fluffiest and whitest in years. He answered, "Well, I don't think it's that bad."_

_There was a silence. Machi said distastefully, "I hate it sometimes."_

"_Why?" Yuki asked, though he felt he knew the answer._

_Machi smirked. "Because it could look so perfect at times. It makes me want to just fly up and knock the sun and the clouds into different directions. At night, I feel like I want to crumple up the stars and throw them at the moon."_

_He chuckled softly and replied, "Well, I could paint a picture of the morning sky and another one of the night sky. If you want, I could destroy the pictures with you. We could pick random colors of markers like orange or pink or green and scribble and messily color the places where there aren't supposed to be colors. If it gets ugly enough, then we crumple them and, yeah, you get the gist of it…"_

_She stared at Yuki strangely and he thought that she would flat out refuse, thinking that he was mocking her, but she muttered shyly, "Yeah… I would love to do that with you… Destroying pictures…" _

_They both looked at each other, as if they were already planning on destroying the sky. Machi laughed that soft, gentle laugh of hers and walked off towards the council room, where everyone else was waiting._

Yuki sighed, closing the windows and jumping down on his bed. He remembered Hatori's words. "Do some special activity with her that she would enjoy… Whatever she likes, whatsoever that may be," he said to himself pensively.

Yes, that was it, he would have to paint or draw pictures of the morning and night sky. He would take her out to a café in the weekend and they could randomly color the perfect pictures and spill coffee on them. He was never able to do that with her as he promised that sunny day.

Yuki smiled as he turned off the lights. Machi would love that.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_Hello everyone! I know; I am so mean to Hatori. And in case you're wondering, Yuki IS going to take his advice. Just wait and see... The next chapter is probably the one I had fun writing the most. Get ready for Ayame's part of the plan! LOL. Please review and/or favorite and/or alert!! Thank you!! :D_

-Pasta W 19. :)_  
_


	4. Case One Yuki & Machi: Part 3 Ayame

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **Greetings!! Welcome to Part Three of Case One. For those who have been waiting for the coming of Ayame's stage of the plan, then here it is. It's nothing much, really, but I hope you all enjoy even though I don't own Furuba!! Have fun reading!! :)

* * *

Case One: Yuki and Machi

Part Three: Ayame

Hatori Sohma flipped another page of his book, reading quietly in his room. Today was a lovely day, with the pretty, blue sky outside, the sun shining its brightest, and the birds chirping happily. Hatori had just come back from Akito's room, tending to the dizzy Sohma family head. He decided to sit down and read a book in his comfortable room.

Hatori sipped a little from his cup of tea and then set it down, flipping to another page of his book afterwards. He was almost ending the chapter when the phone rang. The shrill sound of the noisy phone was almost foreign to the calm man's ears. The dragon spirit slipped a bookmark on the page where he left off and answered, slightly annoyed, "Hello. This is Hatori Sohma speaking-"

"Yes, yes, I know it's you, Haa-san!" a voice cut off.

"Oh. Shigure," Hatori muttered, rolling his eyes. Why did Shigure have to interrupt his moment of peace? He was in the climax of the book he was reading! "What do you need?"

Shigure replied cheerfully, "I called you under circumstances of utter importance, yet it's not really about what _I _need, but about what _Yuki _needs."

"Ah. So this is about our stupid matchmaking plans."

"Don't call them stupid, Haa-san. They're quite successful actually. But yes, this is about our plans," Shigure said patiently, "I have come up with something that could make Yuki a happy man."

Hatori sighed, "Just tell me what it is."

"Well, I overheard Tohru talking to our dear friend Kyonkichi just a few minutes ago. They're having their annual junior-senior bonding day at school tomorrow. A junior student and a senior student have to spend time with each other during break time and free time. It's a high school unity thing the teachers came up with a few years back. That's why we didn't have it when we were at school," Shigure explained excitedly. He continued, "They only find out who they're paired up with on the day itself, which is tomorrow. I believe it's best if Yuki and Machi get partnered together. They can have a romantic day and-"

"One thing, Shigure… How can we make sure that they get paired up?"

"Think. Who do we know has authority over the seniors in Kaibara High?"

Hatori gasped and hissed threateningly, "No, Shigure, no! I am not letting you convince, talk to, or bribe Mayuko Shiraki about pairing them up! Never!"

A laugh was heard on the other end of the phone. "I'm not the one who has free time to go to Mayuko. Right now, Mitchan's trying to get me to finish my novel's final chapter today, and I'm far from it. I'm asking _you _to go to Mayuko to-"

"Oh, Shigure! I have to go; Akito just vomited and I have to help. Goodbye!" Hatori interrupted quickly, ending the call and turning off his cell phone. He sighed and sat back down, flipping open his book again. There was absolutely no way he was going to Mayuko Shiraki, Kaibara high school senior homeroom teacher, and ask her if she could do anything about the junior-senior activity pairings.

Hatori suddenly remembered that Shigure had a will of steel, and had a nagging feeling that the dog spirit had a back-up idea.

* * *

Ayame Sohma was lying down on his bed, bored. He was just staring outside the window, wondering why there were days wherein everything was perfect except for the fact that there was absolutely nothing to do.

In fact, Ayame was so, very, extremely bored that he jumped up from his bed, overjoyed, when his cell phone rang. He ran towards the table and answered perkily, "Yes? The wonderful Ayame Sohma speaking!! What pleasure do I owe you in this uneventful Thursday afternoon?"

"Aaya. You seem more hyper than usual. That's good because there's something I want you to do," Shigure said quickly, as if he was running away from something. Ayame heard yells on the other line, instantly guessing that Mitsuru was begging Shigure for another manuscript or something.

"There's something I need to do?! WHAT IS IT?!" Ayame shouted ecstatically, "I've been lying down on my bed for an hour doing nothing and-"

Mitsuru was heard screaming obscenities at Shigure and threatening suicide on the other line, and the dog spirit said quickly, "I overheard Tohru talking to Kyonkichi a while ago. They're having their annual junior-senior bonding day at school tomorrow. A junior student and a senior student have to spend time with each other during break time and free time. They only find out who they're paired up with on the day itself, which is tomorrow. I believe it's best if Yuki and Machi get partnered together."

"OUCH! PLEASE, MITCHAN, ONE MINUTE!" Shigure yelled exasperatedly. He turned to Ayame, "Go to Mayuko and convince her to somehow pair up Yuki and Machi!"

"Alright, sure, Gure-san. But what if I won't be able to convince her?"

"Make something up; you're good at that stuff! I'm asking you to do this because Hatori loves Mayuko very much-"

There were sounds that made it seem like Mitsuru was trying to yank the phone out of Shigure's hands. Ayame said to himself, "Shigure's asking me to do this because Hatori loves Mayuko very much?"

He shrugged when the call was ended and decided to call the Shiraki bookstore immediately. He called using the landline and found out that Mayuko was still at Kaibara. The snake spirit left a note for Mine at the door and ran off to the high school, thinking about picking Yuki up while he was there.

When he reached the school, he instantly went to the faculty room and knocked softly. The door was answered by none other than Mayuko Shiraki, and utter surprise was written all over her face when she saw Ayame Sohma standing in front of her.

"Ayame? What are you doing here?" she asked, bewildered, "Class hours are over, and if you're looking for Yuki, he hasn't left and is still in the council room."

"Yes, I came here to pick up Yuki, of course, but I also need to talk to you," Ayame explained, grinning at her. She excused herself from the other teachers and led him outside the building.

She looked up at him and said, "What do you want?"

"I hope you don't lose interest because of this but I came here on Shigure's and Hatori's request. They're both busy so I just had to ask this favor for them."

"A favor from you three?" Mayuko asked, wondering why the trio would need her help.

"Yes. Well, as you know, there is a junior-senior bonding activity tomorrow. My dear little brother, Yuki, has a close friend in the junior year, and I want-"

"Let me guess; you want me to put him and this person together for tomorrow?"

"Of course."

There was a small silence as Mayuko thought about it. "You're setting Yuki up with a girl, aren't you? It's just the kind of silly thing you and Shigure would do, though I have no idea how you could have pulled Hatori into this."

Ayame laughed. "No, you've got this the wrong way. Shigure, Hatori, and I just want the best for Yuki. We're concerned for his well-being, and this is the perfect opportunity for him and Machi Kuragi to get along."

"And you think I'll be willing to help- Wait, did you just say Machi Kuragi?"

"Yes, I did. Why?"

Mayuko said pensively, "Well, recently, she's been gossiped about to be a dangerous and destructive child. She broke numerous chalk boxes and destroyed the council room a few times. Some say she even tried to kill her baby brother."

"Those are all rumors and lies, and her brother's attempted murder was a misunderstanding," Ayame said, twirling a strand of his hair around his finger thoughtfully, "She has Atelophobia. Her parents don't know, and she doesn't want anyone to know as well, it seems. It's by her behavior and childhood. Her parents have always pushed her, and now Yuki is helping her cope. That's why we want Yuki and Machi to get paired up tomorrow. They're absolutely perfect for each other."

"Atelophobia? The fear of perfection? I knew that she and Kakeru Manabe have been against each other due to family inheritance problems, but I never knew that she was being pushed too hard. Poor girl…" Mayuko said, evidently shocked.

Ayame smirked. "So does that mean you'll help us?"

Mayuko paused and then said, "Fine. I'm doing this for Yuki and Machi, not for you and Shigure. Well, the pairs are chosen by random, and the paper with all of them is on the principal's desk already. He's out eating in the cafeteria, so I'll try to sneak in and make a few changes."

"That's good. Oh- and can you pair up Tohru and Momiji, and Kyo and Hatsuharu?"

"Why?" Mayuko asked curiously. Ayame was about to answer but then she changed her mind, cutting off, "Never mind. I don't want to know. I'll just do it. Anyway, Yuki should be done with his council work by now. You should go already."

"Alright. Now, I'll see you some other time; thank you very much for your help. Yuki's sure to be waiting for me to arrive," Ayame said dramatically, walking away. Mayuko shook her head. Same old Ayame.

He was about to go upstairs to the council room when he remembered the last thing he heard from Shigure ("I'm asking you to do this because Hatori loves Mayuko very much"). He turned and called back, "Oh, Mayuko! I almost forgot. Hatori loves you very much!"

The snake spirit then ran upstairs before he could see her shocked face. When he rounded the corner, he bumped straight into Yuki.

"Ouch!" they both cried out in unison.

Yuki looked up and was surprised to see his older brother. "Ayame! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Yuki! My dear little brother, I have missed you very much! It seems that you are the last student here today. My, what a hardworking brother I have. Let me bring you home and-"

"You came here to bring me home?"

"Yes, of course."

They both chose to keep quiet while they went outside of the school. While walking back to Shigure's house, Ayame decided to speak. "So how was school today?"

"I'm more tired than ever. Student council work is piling up and I've been staying at school late recently. Hopefully, I'll get a break tomorrow," Yuki said.

"Ah… I see…" Ayame answered, "Well, when I was student council president, I had to deal with those things too. Gure-san and Tori-san had to wait for me almost everyday, but it was fun. We got to stop at bars, no-entry-buildings, and scary looking forests on the way home."

Yuki smiled at the things his older brother did. A few weeks ago, he would instantly scream at the snake spirit to go away, but he now learned to appreciate his brother more. Ever since he defended him from their mother during the Parent-Teacher Conference, Yuki and Ayame had started to become closer.

"You know, Nii-san… I envy you sometimes," Yuki finally said, after a short silence, "You had friends ever since you were a child, but I only started feeling less alone when Tohru came. For most of my life, I've always felt alone."

Ayame stared at Yuki disbelievingly. "Of course, I've never allowed my brilliant self to be alone most of the time," he said proudly, grinning.

Before Yuki could brand him as insensitive, he added quickly, "But that's not my point. My point is that you shouldn't be focused on the times you felt alone, but on the times you felt happy and with friends."

Yuki looked at his brother, waiting for more and hoping that he'd stay serious for the rest of the walk home.

Ayame continued, "Look at me. I've felt alone, stupid, and worthless for a few times in my life, but do you see me talking about that? No, you don't. It's all said and done. Right now, I'm thinking about my happiness in my shop with my close friend Mine. I only grieve over my curse when I need to, like when I feel cold and am about to turn into a snake. So to cut it short, just right back the wrong things that can still be undone, and then move along."

The two walked in silence for a few steps, and then Yuki said quietly, "Thank you, Nii-san. That actually made a lot of sense."

Ayame beamed. "Of course it made sense. I was the one who said it all. Well, now you know a little more about how my mind works. That really is a great honor, since very few know what I think about and-"

"Yes, yes, we're already here," Yuki cut off before his brother could say anything else. They entered Shigure's house, and saw Kyo and Tohru working on unfinished homework.

Tohru looked up and greeted them, "Welcome home, Yuki. Good evening, Ayame-"

"RAT BOY!" Kyo cut Tohru off and grabbed his book, shoving it up Yuki's face and yelling, "Tohru and I don't understand the homework! Help us now!"

Yuki rolled his eyes and sneered, "What makes you think I'll help _you_?"

Another fight ensued and Ayame smiled at how Yuki and Kyo destroyed Shigure's new front door. He turned to Tohru and greeted, "Oh hello, dear princess. Where's Shigure?"

Tohru replied cheerfully, "He's in his room. Mitsuru-san just left a few minutes ago with his work."

Ayame winked at her and went off to Shigure's room. He opened the door and announced, "Gure! I have arrived!"

Shigure looked up from his desk and grinned. "Aaya!!"

He stood up and walked over, putting an arm around his friend's shoulder. "So how was it?"

"Yuki was able to open up to me even more!" Ayame said happily. He added, "I was also able to convince Mayuko to pair Yuki and Machi together for tomorrow. I'm positive that tomorrow will be a happy day for our two unsuspecting victims."

"Ah. That's good. As I was cut off from our short call a while ago, I asked you to go there because Hatori didn't like the idea very much."

Ayame paused. "Was that what you said when Mitchan ended our call? 'I'm asking you to do this because Hatori didn't like the idea very much'?"

"Yeah, why?" Shigure asked, puzzled.

"I thought you said you were asking me to do it because Hatori loves Mayuko very much…" Ayame explained, laughing, "So when Mayuko asked why I came instead of you or Tori, I said that."

Shigure and Ayame laughed at the mistake and wondered what the high school teacher thought of that.

"Well, at least this stage of the plan was a success!" Shigure said, smiling, "I'll call Hatori and tell him the good news!"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Shiraki home, Mayuko had just come home from Kaibara High. She instantly lay down on her bed, tired, and pondered on what Ayame told her previously that day.

Hatori Sohma, the 182 cm-tall, dark-haired, serious but caring Sohma family doctor, loved her, Mayuko Shiraki, the clumsy, boyish Kaibara high school senior homeroom teacher.

"Impossible," Mayuko said to herself, "Ayame must be joking. Yeah, that's it; he and Shigure are just pulling my pants."

She couldn't help but wish that Hatori Sohma really did love her. A girl could dream, and there was a chance.

Right?

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Yeah. I bet you were expecting more. Just wait for the next chapter, you impatient animals. Oh yeah- Case One has five parts: Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, Machi, and Yuki. I hope people are still reading by then. OTL. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed so please review and/or favorite and/or alert!! Thank you!! :)_

-Pasta W 19.


	5. Case One Yuki & Machi: Part 4 Machi

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **I liked writing this chapter because it was fun to write about the Yuki Club's conversations. They are just so addicted to him. O_O Anyway, I hope you like Yuki's and Machi's junior-senior day as much as I enjoyed making it. Furuba isn't mine, by the way. :)

* * *

Case One: Yuki and Machi

Part Four: Machi

Machi Kuragi walked through the school halls, trying to avoid being noticed, which was rather hard since it was Friday, the day when students were practically everywhere. She looked at her tattered brown leather watch and realized that she was early for school. With nothing else to do, she decided to go to the bulletin board and see the latest happenings in Kaibara High.

The shy, quiet girl felt a sinking feeling in her stomach when she saw it was junior-senior bonding day. If she ended up getting paired with a bully, then the rest of the day would be torture. She tried to make her way through the crowd of Yuki fan girls, who were hoping to be partnered with the school prince. As she passed through, she overheard their conversation.

"Oh my gosh! Is it just me, or did I _not_ get paired up with Yuki?!"

"Silly girl, _I'm_ paired up with Yuki!"

"No, you're not."

"AAAHH!! I prayed a novena last night so I could be partners with the prince but… I'M NOT!! WAHHH!!"

"Well, I dreamed of him holding my hand while eating cheeseburgers in the school grounds!"

"What the hell?! But it just has to be me!"

"Well, it isn't, you wannabe!"

"Hey, you're not paired with him either."

"So who's paired with him, then?!"

Machi tiptoed behind the crowd to look at the paper posted on the bulletin board while the fan girls searched for Yuki's name in silence.

Screams ensued.

"YUKI SOHMA'S WITH _HER_?!?!"

"No way!"

"There has to be some kind of mistake!!"

"You have got to be kidding me…"

Machi couldn't find her name and wondered who could have been partnered with Yuki. She hoped it would be a nice girl or guy, not a snooty fan girl. Her heart did a back flip when she found her name right beside Yuki's.

She quietly slipped away from the hall and into the bathroom, trying not to get noticed by the bunch of fan girls. She knew that if they saw her, they would instantly blame her for getting paired up with Yuki and threaten her to treat him well. Nobody would want to go through that.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Machi wondered what kind of cracked up nut job would partner her with the school prince. She had half a mind to walk up to the principal and demand a reshuffle of partners when she realized the advantages of spending a whole day with Yuki. Nobody would dare bully her while he was around, and whenever he would stay with her, her Atelophobia would somehow go away. She recalled this warm feeling inside of her whenever he was beside her and smiled.

Machi walked out of the bathroom and went to her classroom quietly, contemplating on whether Yuki would be happy about getting paired with her or not. She remembered his kind eyes and sincere smile, and was sure that whether he was paired with her or not, he would never change his nice personality.

As the school bell rang and students started piling into the classroom, she concluded that today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Yuki Sohma looked up from his quiz, finished, and realized that it was almost recess time. He glanced at Tohru on his right and saw that she was working hard to finish in time. Kyo, who was on Tohru's other side, looked like he could crumple the paper and throw it out the window. Arisa Uotani was behind Kyo, and was doodling something with a red marker at the back of his chair. Saki Hanajima, who was behind Tohru, slept peacefully.

Their teacher, Mayuko Shiraki, banged her hand on the blackboard. "Everyone, pencils down!"

A girl in front had the nerve to mutter, "We're not even using pencils…"

"Just put down your pens, alright?!" Mayuko barked, glaring at the girl, "Now, pass your papers!"

Yuki passed his paper, confident that he aced the test, and stood up with everyone else as the bell rang. They were dismissed.

He noticed almost everyone get out of the classroom excitedly and wondered what it was that made everyone look forward to that day. He was about to ask Tohru when Kyo grumbled, "Great… It's junior-senior day and I'm with that cow."

Tohru grinned as she took both Yuki's and Kyo's hands, saying, "I'm with Momiji! Isn't that exciting?"

Yuki nodded and said, "I forgot it was junior-senior bonding day today. Do you know who I'm with?"

"Ah… I think you're with Machi Kuragi-san," Tohru replied, smiling at Yuki's both surprised and slightly pleased reaction, "I'm sure you're going to have a good time too."

"Yeah…"

While Tohru and Kyo went off to find Hatsuharu and Momiji, Yuki set off to find Machi. He knew that she most probably wasn't in the council room and decided to go the tree in the school grounds, where he had seen her pet the stray dog.

Yuki glanced out the window and saw the same pretty girl under the tree, this time without a dog, and ran off to meet her.

* * *

Machi had no idea what compelled her to do so, but she went to eat by herself under the same tree. She knew that students were required to eat with their chosen junior-senior partners but she had a feeling that Yuki was going to find her there. Soon enough, she saw the handsome, kind-hearted school prince run towards her.

"Yuki!" she called out to him. He waved and sat down next to her, enjoying the shade of the tree.

He smiled at her and said, "I'm sorry I'm late. I forgot that it was junior-senior day, and I didn't even check the bulletin board. Honda-san only told me you were my partner."

"I see," Machi answered, drinking from her soda can. She licked her lips and added, "Everyone wanted to be your partner. There was a small group of girls at the bulletin board this morning and-"

"Don't mind them. All I know is that right now, you're my partner and there's nothing they can do about that."

Machi smiled as they both ate in silence. They watched as students walked around the school grounds and just sat quietly, backs against the tree, feeling the soft breeze blowing.

"Yuki?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you consider me a good friend?"

Yuki turned to look at Machi. He frowned, closing his water bottle and putting it in his bag. Then, he smiled and patted her head, saying, "What kind of question is that? Of course you're a good friend."

"Really? Even if I'm lonely and insecure?" Machi asked, looking at Yuki in surprise, eyes wide.

"The more you make me like you. We're good friends, all right? Everyone else's opinions don't matter. Besides, we're both lonely and insecure."

Machi blushed as Yuki held her hand. Suddenly, she heard him gasp softly. She turned and saw that he was looking at her watch.

"Why is it so battered?" Yuki asked, holding up her wrist to look at it.

"Well… It was given to me by my mother when she still appreciated me as a daughter, and I've treasured it ever since," Machi explained quietly, "It accidentally got caught up in a huge pile of mess while I was… um… messing up my room…"

Yuki removed the watch from her wrist and gave it to her. He then opened his bag and got a blue watch. He put it around Machi's wrist and adjusted it to make it fit. Machi looked at it and gasped.

It was a cute Mogeta watch that looked brand new. "Oh no, I can't take this!"

"Of course you can. My cousin Kisa got me one and told me that I could do whatever I wanted with it because I was very kind to her, apparently. Well, I don't use it much and I think it suits you better," Yuki said, grinning at Machi's shocked expression.

"You really are so kind, Yuki… Thank you," she managed to mumble, blushing.

The bell rang and recess was over. They both got up and walked back towards their classrooms happily. Machi instantly sat down on her desk as soon as she went inside and…

She realized that she was still blushing.

* * *

Later, it was lunch break and the bell rang once again to signal this. Machi went out of the classroom as soon as possible, wanting to eat with Yuki once more. Before she could make her way out of the door, someone held her back.

"Hey, you!" Hatsuharu Sohma yelled in Machi's scared face, "You're Yuki's partner, right?"

A few people stared but most already went outside. When Machi didn't answer, Hatsuharu was about to yell again. He was stopped by Momiji Sohma.

"Haru… You're black again. Please don't get mad at Machi; she didn't do anything wrong," Momiji said brightly, pulling Hatsuharu away.

The ox spirit fumed and answered impatiently, "I was just asking her if she treated Yuki well a while ago."

Machi blinked. "O-of course I did."

"Well you better be nice to him again or else!!"

Hatsuharu stormed out of the room while Momiji stared after him, shaking his head. He turned to Machi and explained, "I think he's mad that he got paired up with Kyo. He could've been with Tohru or, well, Yuki. Please understand."

"Oh. Yes, I don't really mind…" Machi replied softly, imagining Kyo and Hatsuharu fighting, Tohru and Momiji attempting to restrain them from behind. Whoever came up with the pairings did a totally wack job with it.

As soon as Machi walked down the hall towards the council room, she saw Naohito speed off the opposite direction, Kimi chasing after him. She stared at the two, who were rounding the corner and blinked. Yeah, whoever came up with the pairings was probably on drugs.

"Hey Machi. How's life?"

She turned and saw her half-brother, Kakeru Manabe. "Kakeru."

"Well, my dear little sister, I shall tell you why I am miserable. It all started with the wack-o pairings that were posted on the bulletin board this morning," he replied monotonously, "A total nightmare."

* * *

_A few minutes ago…_

Yuki Sohma went into the council room, wanting to finish some work about the school's environment program. He waved hello to Kakeru and sat down.

"Hey Yuki," Kakeru started, looking up from his food, "I've heard that you and Machi got paired together. Was recess fun?"

"Ah. Well, yes, Machi and I did get paired up. Recess was great. Who did you get partnered with?" Yuki answered curiously.

As if by cue, the council room doors opened and revealed Kimi Toudou, who had a less than pleased look on her face.

"KAKERU!!" she shouted, glaring at said person, "Naohito-chan ran away from me!!!"

Kakeru grinned sheepishly and suggested, "Well, why don't you chase him? Chibisuke can't run that far."

"But… But he's my partner… He's not even supposed to run away…"

She started crying and Yuki said to Kakeru, "Umm… If Kimi is Naohito's partner, then who's yours?"

Kimi's head jerked up, not having seen Yuki when she first entered. "YUN-YUN!! If only you were my partner!!"

"But Kimi, we're both seniors. As are you and Kakeru, but he's indicating that you're his partner even though you say you're Naohito's," Yuki answered, confused. Kakeru laughed.

"DON'T LAUGH!" Kimi yelled.

"Not laughing…"

Yuki said quietly, "Can somebody explain? I'm confused."

Kakeru sighed and explained, "Originally, Nao and I got paired up. If you add the juniors and the seniors together, the sum would be an odd number so someone gets left out."

"Apparently, it was me!!" Kimi whined, "But then everyone loves me, so it isn't fair!"

"Yeah, yeah, we all know that," Kakeru muttered, annoyed, "Well, she approached Mayuko-sensei about it and then it resulted in a trio instead of a pair. She joined Naohito and me; there was no other option."

Kimi said, "But then Naohito and Kakeru aren't treating Kimi the way she wants to be treated, so Kimi's sad!!"

Yuki grinned, saying, "Anyway, Kakeru, that means you have room for improvement. Why don't you improve and treat Kimi the way she wants to be treated? Besides, you're both partners. While you're at it, treat Naohito like a king too…"

"Shut up, Yun-Yun!!" Kakeru grumbled, trying not to mind the fact that he was grouped with two people who you wouldn't really call 'sweet, hot girls'.

Suddenly, someone entered the door, panting. It was Naohito Sakuragi. He closed the door and locked it, saying tiredly, "Yuki. Have you seen Kakeru or Kimi?"

He turned and realized that Kakeru and Kimi were both in the room and screamed, opening the door again and bolting away. Kimi raced after him, shouting, "NAOOO-CHAAAN!!!"

Yuki laughed while Kakeru rolled his eyes, walking after them. "See you, Yun-Yun… If I survive…"

The door closed and Yuki sighed, running a hand through his hair. He decided to finish working on the paper for the Kaibara environment-friendly program and wrote down a few notes on his ideas.

Just when he thought nothing get more peaceful, the door opened once again. He groaned, not bothering to turn around and see who entered. "Who is it?"

"Hello Yuki. It's me, Machi."

"Oh! Machi!" Yuki exclaimed, putting the papers into a folder and standing up, "I've been waiting for you here. What took you so long?"

Machi looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry… I was just talking to Hatsuharu and Momiji when I left the classroom. Then, I talked to Kakeru in the hall a few minutes ago. Do you know what happened to him?"

Yuki snorted. "Oh. That. Well, since the juniors and seniors added up together to make an odd number, someone got left out. It was Kimi. She had to join Naohito and Kakeru to form a junior-senior trio."

"So that's why he wasn't looking so happy a while ago…" Machi realized, smiling, "Oh- and may I ask about Hatsuharu and Momiji?"

"Yeah, sure," Yuki replied, remembering that Machi was classmates with them.

"A while ago, Hatsuharu was acting a bit… unsociable and angry. Momiji said he was 'black again'. What did he mean by that?"

Yuki laughed. "Well, you see, when Haru's in a bad mood, he turns black. When he's nice and friendly again, he turns white. It's a personality thing."

"I see. I was just curious…"

"Yeah, I understand. The Sohmas are a weird bunch," Yuki said, smirking.

Machi smiled. "Not really. I find your family rather intriguing. A bunch of people with different personalities- it's cute."

"Cute?"

"N-never mind…"

Yuki finished cleaning up his desk and said, "So… shall we eat?"

Machi smiled. "Sure."

The two walked off to the tree once more.

* * *

"Machi, can I ask you something?" Yuki said, packing up his leftover food and cleaning the place around the tree before they went for their last classes for the day. Machi looked up at him and shrugged.

"Sure."

There was a small pause. Yuki remembered Hatori's words over the phone. _Just make sure to be kind to the girl and invite her over to the house or something. Do some special activity with her that she would enjoy… Whatever she likes, whatsoever that may be. Give her a gift; that's effective as well_.

"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow?"

This time, it was Machi's turn to pause. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Yuki quickly added, "You don't have to go if you don't want to. But then I'll treat you to a nice café nearby. You won't have to use your money for anything; it's all on me, and-"

"Of course I want to go out with you tomorrow," Machi interrupted, smiling at Yuki's surprised reaction, "Tomorrow would be a wonderful day for us to spend together; I don't mind."

They both stood up as it was nearing the end of lunch time. Yuki grabbed Machi's hand and they both ran off before they could be late.

"You know, Machi… I have a surprise for you tomorrow. Be prepared," Yuki whispered as they reached her classroom. Machi stared at him blankly and he winked.

As the class started, Machi couldn't get one thing out of her mind: Yuki.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **See? I told you Yuki was going to follow Hatori's advice. Oh yeah, most of the Mabudachi Trio won't be appearing until the latter part of the next chapter, which is the final part. This chapter and the next are mainly focused on Yuki and Machi, since Case One IS supposed to be about them getting together, anyway. If you really want to know, Case Two is going to focus on getting Kureno and Arisa together while Case Three is... well... Let's just say it's going to be really funny. So stay tuned!! And PLEASE review and/or favorite and/or alert!! :D_

-Pasta W 19. :P


	6. Case One Yuki & Machi: Part 5 Yuki

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **Oh don't you love slow updates? Yes, I know you do. Anyway, this chapter shows the final stage of Case One, and then, well, read the Author's Note to find out about my good news. I just LOVE writing awkward friendly scenes between two lovers, and funny humorous scenes between friends. Well, just read and enjoy!! :D

* * *

Case One: Yuki and Machi

Part Five: Yuki

"Yuki, where are you going?"

Tohru Honda looked up from the almost-clean floor she was sweeping and stared at Yuki Sohma, who was halfway out the door.

"Ah. Honda-san… I forgot to tell you; I'll be out this afternoon," Yuki said, smiling at Tohru. She smiled back.

"Okay. Be safe, Yuki," she reminded him. Yuki waved and was about to go out the door when Tohru asked, "If you don't mind me asking, are you going out on a date with someone?"

Yuki sighed and answered, "Well, yes, I am. I'm going out with Machi Kuragi and we're going to a café near town."

"Oh… That's nice…"

"If you're so disappointed, then I would love to do the honors of asking Kyo to take you out as well," Yuki said, grinning. Tohru blushed.

"No, there's no need for that Yuki…" Tohru muttered shyly, sweeping the floor. She didn't want anyone to go to the trouble of asking Kyo to take her out. Besides, Yuki's 'asking' might not turn out to be successful, anyway.

Tohru was left alone in the room and she continued sweeping the floor. Suddenly, the doors from the hall opened and she accidentally bumped into the person who entered.

Hoping it was Kyo; she looked down and found a dog instead of a cat.

"I'm sorry, Shigure-san!! It was an accident!" she said frantically, not wanting to be a bother to anyone else.

Shigure the dog stood up, saying nonchalantly, "Oh no… I was about to go out to visit Akito. Ah well, I'll go outside, anyway. When I transform back, I'll change behind the trees…"

Tohru watched as the dog grabbed his yukata from the floor and trotted off outside. He broke off into a run, looking for a certain young man getting ready for a date.

As Yuki set off to fetch Machi from her house, he didn't notice Shigure the black dog follow closely behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Ayame's shop, Hatori Sohma had just arrived to see, well, Ayame. He entered the doors and looked around, seeing the beautiful dresses, elaborate designs, and intricate patterns surrounding him.

"Ayame?" Hatori called out.

The back doors opened to reveal Mine Kuramae, who was Ayame's assistant, seamstress, and girlfriend. She smiled at Hatori and said, "Oh, Hatori-kun. Ayame is just upstairs in his room if you want to see him."

"Ah, yes… I'll go see him," Hatori replied politely, smiling back and entering the back doors, which led to stairs going to Ayame's room. He walked up and saw a door that screamed the snake spirit's flamboyant, vivacious attitude all over it.

Before he could knock, it slid open and out came Ayame, dressed in his fur coat as if there was a very important event going on that day. He expressed slight surprise at Hatori being right outside his door and then grinned, saying, "Tori-san!! I didn't expect you to be here!!"

"Ah. Well, if that's the case, you clearly forgot about the final stage of our plan for Yuki and Machi," Hatori said.

Ayame blinked. "Oh. I forgot," he said. Hatori resisted the urge of rolling his eyes while Ayame added dramatically, "But this is a wonderful occasion! My dear brother Yuki will be able to find true love with our help! We-"

"Yes, that's nice, Ayame," Hatori cut off impatiently, "Now, I think I'm thirsty."

Mine entered from behind Ayame and announced, "There's some tea ready downstairs if you two want some."

Hatori sighed as Ayame led him downstairs; talking about how successful the plan was going to be. Mine giggled and nodded, thinking that their plan was very clever.

Hatori couldn't help but agree as well. Their plan was proving to be successful.

* * *

"Yuki, you're early!"

Yuki had just arrived at Machi's house. He rang the doorbell and she came outside, all prepared. She was wearing a simple white skirt topped off with a purple blouse. Her white bag had her phone, her wallet, and a lot of unimportant things because of her unorganized packing. Yuki thought she looked perfect.

"Yeah, I decided to come early. The café gets a lot of customers today, so maybe if we come early, then we'd get a good table," he said, taking her hand and leading her into town.

They walked to the town square, since it was pretty near Machi's house. Their trip on the way was awkwardly quiet because the two of them had no idea what exactly to say to each other.

Machi noticed Yuki carrying a small folder and she wondered what was inside. Suddenly, Yuki said, "We're here."

She looked up to see a simple, classy café and came to the fact that Yuki was good at choosing places for dates. He obviously knew that she wasn't the type to want to eat out at a fancy fine-dining restaurant or a romantic beachside bar.

"Oh, this is a nice place!" she told him, picking an outside table with a green umbrella covering it from the sun. Yuki smiled as they both sat down and felt comfortable in their spot.

Yuki ordered a Caramel Vanilla Cappuccino while Machi ordered a Chocolate Cinnamon Frappe. However, they both argued on the cake they wanted to share.

"Machi, you should try their Oreo Cheesecake. It's delicious," Yuki suggested.

"But then I think this Blueberry Chocolate Cake looks good, too," Machi said.

"You can try that next time."

"I'm sure I want a Blueberry-"

"The Blueberry Chocolate Cake doesn't have cheese in it, and I want Oreo Cheesecake, which has cheese in it!"

"Well, I want a cake with blueberries, and Oreo Cheesecakes don't have those!"

"Then let's get a Blueberry Cheesecake; it has both blueberries and cheese…"

"Oh. Right. That's settled then."

The waiter stared at them for a bit before going off to take their order and when he had gone, Yuki and Machi looked at each other, laughing.

Machi spoke first. "I didn't know you like cheese."

Yuki gaped at her and retorted, "Well, I didn't know you like blueberries!"

"I didn't say there was something wrong with liking cheese!"

"Yeah, sorry… I'm just a big fan of it…"

Machi giggled, which annoyed Yuki. After a short while, their orders came and they both shared the Blueberry Cheesecake, which tasted absolutely heavenly to Machi. Yuki came to the conclusion that it wasn't as good as Oreo Cheesecake, but liked it as well.

He finished his cappuccino and asked for water. He looked at Machi and saw that she was very content, sipping her nearly-finished frappe. Deciding that it was the right time to do so, he brought out the morning and night sky paintings he had made the night before.

He set them on the table and said, "Machi, do you remember what I told you last month?"

"The comment that my face looked like Mogeta's?"

"No, not that!" Yuki said agitatedly, shaking his head at that memory, "The one about the skies?"

"Ah, that! Yes, I remember," Machi replied curiously, blushing slightly at her mistake. She looked closely at the paintings and saw that they were of the morning sky and the night sky, realizing that this was the surprise. "Oh Yuki… You really wanted to fulfill that promise you made for me, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. Now, why don't you start destroying the sun and the clouds?"

Machi snorted as she grabbed a green crayon and made a huge, gaping, crooked line across the sun. Yuki drew numerous orange zigzag lines on a pack of clouds and they went on destroying the morning sky in their picture.

Yuki grabbed Machi's unfinished frappe and poured some of its contents on the night sky, making a brown moon. Machi laughed as she crumpled the two pictures.

"Where are you going to put those? Don't tell me you're going to post them on your wall!" Yuki said, laughing.

"On my wall? Good idea," Machi said pensively. The rat spirit stared at her as if she sprouted a third eye and she added, grinning, "No, I was just being sarcastic!! Well, maybe I'll keep it with me in one of my bedside drawers…"

Yuki smiled, glad that she liked his little surprise and asked the waiter for the bill. He paid with his money and they walked out of the café, holding hands. Machi was talking about how Kakeru chased her around the park when they were seven when Yuki swore he could've seen a black dog follow them.

He ignored it and thought he must have been imagining things, deciding to listen to Machi's story. As they left the town square, the dog turned into a human right then and there, and Shigure Sohma ran quickly into an alley to change. He cursed loudly as it started to rain and, all dressed, decided to go to Ayame's shop, which was apparently the closest sheltered place he knew.

* * *

A block away, Yuki and Machi had the same idea. They were both soaking wet, unlike Shigure, who had an umbrella, and were both running towards the closest covered bus stop.

"I didn't know it was going to rain today," Yuki muttered, relieved that they were able to find a covered bus stop, "And it just so happens that I hate going into the rain…"

Machi nodded, attempting to dry her wet hair. After a few minutes, a bus hadn't passed by and the rain hadn't stopped, so Yuki decided that they couldn't wait there in the cold any longer.

"We need new, dry, clothes to change into but then we both didn't bring any clothes. We also need to shelter ourselves somewhere less cold and wet, and both our houses are too far from here. The closest place I know is Nii-san's shop so we have no other choice…" Yuki told Machi, shivering in the cold.

They both ran off as fast as they could towards Ayame's shop, splashing puddles on the way, much to Machi's joy. She smiled contentedly when she splashed another puddle, ruining her now extremely dirty skirt.

Suddenly, she slipped and fell. Yuki helped her up and said, "If you weren't so enthusiastic in splashing those puddles then maybe you wouldn't have-"

Machi grabbed Yuki's neck impatiently, feeling herself lose balance. Yuki was caught by surprise and almost fell down with her when he pulled her up at the last moment, taking extreme care not to let his body any closer to hers for fear of turning into a rat. "Machi…"

"Thank you for helping me up. Thank you also for the nice date… I really enjoyed it. Don't worry, though, I'm still having fun because it's not exactly over yet, is it?" she said sheepishly in an attempt to apologize for her negligence.

Yuki smiled at her and held her hand, saying, "No, it's not over yet. I advise you not to splash any more puddles unless you really want to lose all flawlessness from your legs…"

Machi blushed and realized how close they were. Yuki noticed this and decided not to waste the chance. Their lips met and formed their first kiss, very soft and gentle. He pulled back, not wanting to risk his curse being revealed any longer. Machi's face turned a darker shade of red and she mumbled, "Umm… We should be going into your brother's shop now or else we'll both get sick…"

* * *

"Aaya!! Look, look! They're kissing!!"

Ayame swiftly turned and ran to the window beside Shigure. "You're right! They _are_ kissing! Oh, they stopped…"

"I believe it would've lasted longer if it wasn't for the curse," Hatori commented behind them, not wanting to go to the window, "And please don't invade their privacy any longer, it's not right…"

"Well, they're in the middle of the road on a rainy day, so-"

"Yeah, whatever! Our plan is a success: they're in love!!" Shigure said impatiently, jumping up and down with Ayame.

Hatori rolled his eyes while his two friends squealed like girls. "Can we act a little bit more mature here? Don't get me wrong; I'm happy for Yuki and Machi, but let's not get carried away…"

Ayame laughed and decided to greet the couple at the door. He ran to open it even before they were able to ring the doorbell. "Yuki! Machi! You're both here- oh, what a surprise!!"

"How can it be a surprise if you knew we were standing at your door without ringing the bell?" Yuki asked, shaking his head.

"Well, I saw you out the window, of course!!" Ayame answered cheerfully.

"I see… B-but wait!! What did you see out the window?"

"You, of course!"

"I know that but-"

A new voice interrupted the brothers' banter. "Aaya, Tori, and I saw everything, Yuki! Oh Machi, I congratulate you for winning the heart of the prince-"

"I've had enough of you two…" Yuki cut off, sitting down tiredly on the couch, "Please, let Machi use the shower and get her dry clothes. I'll go after her."

Machi was about to protest and say that Yuki needed it first when Mine ushered her into the bathroom with a towel and clothes. Hatori entered the room and stared at the overjoyed Ayame, the amused Shigure, and the agitated Yuki, instantly deciding to leave the room once again.

When the door closed, Shigure winked at Ayame and ran after Hatori, yelling, "HATORI!! WAIT FOR MEE!!"

The door closed once more and Yuki realized he was alone with his brother. Ayame sat down beside him and, for once, was quiet.

"Nii-san?"

"Yes, my dear Yuki?"

"Am I right in saying that you, Shigure, and Hatori planned for all this to happen?"

"For all what to happen?"

"You set me and Machi up together," Yuki said softly, "Shigure somehow met Machi at school as a dog and spied on us. Hatori called, persuading me to take Machi out on a date and give her a gift. You managed to convince Mayuko-sensei into pairing me and Machi up for junior-senior day, and don't deny it because I saw you talk to her before we bumped into each other."

Ayame laughed. "Wow. I believe we have underestimated you. You figured out our plans. Well, they succeeded, didn't they?"

"I didn't really need your help for me and Machi to get along, but I have to admit; it did speed up our relationship faster than it was supposed to progress."

"Yes, I know. We're brilliant, aren't we?"

Yuki made no comment. He stared up at Ayame, who had just finished making tea while they were having their conversation.

He got a cup and drank, feeling a whole lot warmer than before. When he set down his cup back on the table, he realized that Ayame was gazing out the window at the rain the whole time.

"Nii-san… Is there something wrong?"

"No, not exactly," Ayame sighed, tearing his gaze away from the window and towards Yuki instead, "I just feel slightly envious of you. You're able to run around in the rain like that, while I've never done that ever before in my entire life. I wonder sometimes how rain feels like in a human body, not in a snake form…"

Yuki looked at his brother and said, "It's not much, really, but if you don't mind feeling the dampness of clothes against your skin, then it's quite refreshing."

Ayame sipped from his cup and put it down as Machi entered the room in her new clothes. "I guess so…"

Yuki's stare averted from Ayame to Machi, and he said, dumbstruck, "You look very pretty in those, Machi."

"Of course she does. She looks absolutely stunning since she's wearing clothes made by my own hand. Simple blue blouse and skirt, with laces gracing the fabric subtly…" Ayame said fondly, proud of his work.

Machi sat down, taking Yuki's place on the couch beside Ayame while Yuki took a shower. She got a cup of tea and sipped from it, enjoying the warmth it brought.

Ayame spoke to her. "Ah, Machi, I'm quite happy Yuki has chosen a fair maiden such as you to be his partner in life. He is quite a lonely person though most don't know it."

"I know that he's lonely," Machi said timidly, blushing at the 'fair maiden' comment, "And he knows that I'm lonely as well, so I guess that's why we're friends…"

"I see. You're very lucky. Yuki is not only handsome and intelligent, but kind-hearted as well, and he truly is more than worthy to be yours," Ayame said sincerely, smiling encouragingly at Machi, "Well, Yuki and I haven't exactly been close during our childhood, since we were separated and quite mindless of each other's existence but we've been closer recently, and have learned a lot about each other. He really is a pure-hearted person."

Machi now stared at Ayame with new eyes, thinking that he was not just Yuki's brother, the flamboyant, vivacious, costume shop owner. He was one who truly cared about Yuki and knew more than what most people thought, only showing his real, serious thoughts to those who knew how to get it out of him.

She nodded and said, "I'm sure Yuki and I will be good friends, and I won't let you down. I'll take care of him as much as he'll take care of me because I really lo-"

The shy, Atelophobic girl stopped abruptly and looked down at her feet, embarrassed that she poured out so much of her thoughts to someone she barely even knew. Ayame grinned.

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone else about this conversation. I understand you perfectly well, since I have doubts about my love as well," he said truthfully, thinking about Mine.

"Secrets again, huh?" Machi said quietly. Ayame stared at her as if he didn't know what she was talking about. "I know that you all have a lot of secrets. All the Sohmas I've met always hide something and keep secrets, and I've always pretended never to realize. To me, Sohmas are mysterious, walking enigmas, but ever since Yuki has been kind to me, I've always tried never to peep and pry…"

Ayame sipped from his cup. "You're a clever girl. Yes, I guess my doubts about love are because of the secrets I've been hiding. Ah- here comes Yuki."

Machi instantly stood up as she saw Yuki looking dazzling with black jeans and a frilly white polo shirt. "Y-Yuki…"

"Ah, Machi, we have to go already; it's getting late," Yuki said, walking briskly over to her and leading her out the door.

"But wait, my dear brother! Don't you want to stay for dinner?" Ayame asked. He paused and added jokingly, "Or don't you want to stay forever?"

"No, Machi was planning to sleep over at the house tonight and we wouldn't want to get caught in the rain again," Yuki explained, rolling his eyes at the thought of staying with his brother forever. Shigure and Hatori entered the room and the rat spirit noticed Ayame looking slightly disappointed at being alone for the night, since Mine was going to stay at her parents' house for their wedding anniversary. He added, "Well, why don't you sleep over too?"

Shigure's head snapped up at this suggestion and he exclaimed happily, "Haa-san, stay over at my house too! We'll have a wonderful night!! You, me, and Aaya!!"

"But Shigure… Ayame and I stayed over at your house already last Sunday-"

"Aww, come on, Tori!! It'll be fun!!" Ayame cut off excitedly. He and Shigure started jumping up and down around Hatori, who shook his head at their childishness.

He gave up and muttered dejectedly, "Fine. Let's all go to Shigure's house. I have my car so I can drive you all and-"

His two friends cheered and he sighed, leading the way out the door to his car. Machi voiced out her concern, "But Yuki, how are we all going to fit in Shigure's house tonight?"

"Well, Hatori can sleep in Shigure's room, you can sleep in Honda-san's room, and I guess I'll let Ayame sleep with me in my room…" Yuki said slowly, predicting that the night was going to be a long one. He added contentedly, "And Kyo will be alone as always."

Machi stared at Yuki, still not understanding why he and Kyo Sohma hated each other so much. Well, there were a lot of things she didn't understand about the Sohmas, and those were secrets, mysteries, and hidden things that she didn't want to find out about.

Yuki smiled as he got on Hatori's car. As long as Machi was with him, he was happy. Everything would be fine.

Achieving justice, obtaining romance, having good health, and accomplishing a happy ending were a few things Yuki didn't expect to do this early in life. Those were things he wouldn't have the need to do if Machi never existed. Those were things he would never have done if it weren't for the Mabudachi Trio.

Or maybe not.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_GO BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE!! __Yay! It's finally finished!! Actually, it's not. There's going to be a Case Two: Kureno and Arisa Introduction, and another new plot comes. Good news too: I already have about five more cases planned after the second one. PLANNED, my dears. Yes, the updates will get slower since I'm still planning the cases, not writing them. Anyway, please REVIEW and/or FAVORITE and/or ALERT. Thanks!! _

-Pasta W 19. :)


	7. Case Two: Kureno and Arisa Introduction

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **It took me nine days to finally post the introduction for case two. I'd have to say that it must be extremely horrible because people who don't support this pairing will end up thinking it's too sappy and boring so please, bear with me. I chose this pairing for case two because the others will have their certain time to shine. Enjoy. :)

* * *

Case Two: Introduction

Kureno Sohma walked out of Akito's room silently. He had to call Hatori again- Akito was feeling sick. Kureno sighed, thinking about how monotonous life was in the Sohma main house. All he had to do was sleep, wake up, take a bath, eat, visit Akito, eat, visit Akito, take a nap, eat, visit Akito, clean up, and sleep again. Free time came rarely, and was spent quite unproductively. Small errands arrived shortly as well, but never was he required to do anything else much.

For the rooster spirit, life was something that wasn't very important to him. He didn't have a real purpose or a valid reason to exist. If he died, some people would grieve, and then Akito would get another Zodiac member to be his personal assistant again. Everything would resume to its normal state as usual.

Kureno felt worthless.

The only times he didn't feel like this were when his parents still cared for him. That was long gone already, and he couldn't wish for his parents to come back anymore. Another time was when Akito said he really needed him, and oh how Kureno felt that he was lied to a little while afterwards. He would always feel worthless once again.

Yet something had changed. Arisa Uotani entered his life.

It was simple, as if she had just walked by and exchanged glances with him. Nothing else. But at that time, Kureno felt for the first time in a very long period of time that someone actually thought he was worth something. It amused him how the girl got along with him well although they barely even knew each other. Well, because of his privilege of being faithful to Akito, he couldn't delve deeper into their relationship; he couldn't stay long with her.

Kureno felt worthless once again. He had the urge to just leave Akito but then he remembered his promise to the head of the Sohma family- that he would never leave him. Arisa Uotani seemed more than just a girl he was eating yakisoba with on one lazy afternoon. Kureno hoped for more, and only met up with her once again, when he had almost turned her down completely.

Brilliant, just brilliant. He hadn't met her again ever since, and the light that shone at the end of his dark tunnel went out, just like all those other times. Kureno Sohma lost hope. Confident that he would remain worthless forevermore, he lived monotonously as always, serving Akito and watching the curse hover softly upon the Juunishi.

Would things ever change?

"Kureno? Kureno. Hey, Kureno!"

Said person looked up, snapping out of his daze. He was contemplating on his life again, something he had done a lot ever since he met Arisa Uotani. The things he was pondering on were getting deeper and deeper. Apparently, Hatori Sohma, his cousin and the dragon spirit of the Zodiac, noticed this as well.

"What are you thinking about? You knock on my door and when I answer, you give me no indication whatsoever of why you even came," he commented curiously, "Are you all right?"

Kureno sighed. "You gave me a check-up a few days back already, and I'm still fine. Akito wants you to come over- he's not feeling well."

"Again?"

"Yes. Again."

Hatori paused before he went to Akito's room. He looked concernedly at Kureno once more and softly muttered, "Are you sure you're all right? Nothing's bothering you? You can tell me anything…"

"No, nothing. Seriously, everything's fine, Tori-nii," Kureno lied, giving a fake smile, which hurt. Hatori stared at him suspiciously but walked off.

The rooster spirit went back to his house. If only everything really was fine, if only things were really that easy…

* * *

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, Arisa Uotani was thinking of Kureno Sohma. She was working on a group project with Tohru Honda and Saki Hanajima, and wasn't exactly helping a lot.

"Uo-chan! Can you please hold the yarn while I'm cutting it?"

"Eh?" Arisa said. She looked at Tohru beside her, who was trying to cut the yarn, and held it. "Right. Um, what's after step two?"

"We're on step four, Uo-chan," Tohru reminded her, tying two sticks with the yarn. Saki grabbed the book and flipped to page nineteen, where the steps were. She started reciting them to Tohru, who was now coloring a wing-shaped paper green.

Arisa had absolutely no idea what they were doing, and realized that they were in art class, and were supposed to be making paper statue things. She, Saki, and Tohru were assigned to make a sparrow paper statue. She then wondered why Tohru was coloring the paper green.

"Uh… Isn't that supposed to be brown?"

Tohru looked at the crayon she was holding and squealed. "AAH! I made a mistake! Hana-chan, can you hand me a new piece of paper? Please and thank you!"

Arisa sighed, fixing the half-bird statue's eyes. She made a mistake and then noticed that she accidentally made a tiny blob appear underneath the left eye. The half-made bird now looked like it was crying. "Great. I made it shed a tear."

"It's alright, Uo-chan, it looks cute," Tohru said earnestly, finishing one wing. She tried to attach it to the upper body, but failed.

"I'll do it," Arisa volunteered.

Unfortunately, her mind and heart wasn't exactly into attaching the wing to the body properly, so she failed. By now, Tohru and Hanajima were busy with the other parts and she was expected to fix the wing.

"Great," she told herself quietly, "They're relying on me to do part of this hopeless project, which is turning out to be a complete, epic failure. And I'm even starting to talk to myself!"

She sighed and tried again, her mind still on other things. 'Other things' actually meant her life and Kureno Sohma. Yes, that was it. Arisa Uotani couldn't stop thinking about her life and Kureno Sohma.

If she was to give a short summary of her life, she would've made it short and blunt as always. She would tactlessly say it was nothing much turned into a little of something, and end up hurting her own feelings, which was really pathetic.

Arisa always thought of her early gangster days as a way of escaping from reality, a way of trying not to think too much about her hopeless, useless life. When Kyoko and Tohru Honda entered her life, she felt great again. She served a purpose as Tohru's friend, and later on, Hanajima's friend as well. Everything was turning out fine.

Her only problem was that it was a little lonely sometimes as well. When school was done and classes were over for the day, she'd feel as if nobody needed her then. If there was nothing to do involving either of the two girls or school stuff, she'd feel as if nothing was worth living for any longer. No, she wasn't going to resort to hurting herself or others; she was done with that. She just felt slightly lonely.

She just wanted to add a little more spice in her life.

And the spice came- in the name of Kureno Sohma.

No, Arisa didn't expect to meet a life-changing person at a convenience store or eat delicious food with him, but it turned out amazingly well. She liked it. This Kureno person was someone with similar feelings as hers, and they could actually relate with each others' lives. Even if she knew little about him, she felt that they were going to be good friends.

Arisa wanted to see him again- badly. This resulted in her shout-out during the Sorta Cinderella play, and ended up in people thinking that she was a crazy, biased, star-crossed lover.

It was all excellent, marvelous, and through the roof. Arisa Uotani fell in love with Kureno Sohma.

The thought crossed Arisa's mind, and she almost dropped the wing. She figured it out. She fell in love- deeply. That was why she felt like complete shit whenever thinking about both her life and Kureno- it was because she inevitably loved him and wanted him to be in her life.

"Now, if only he would just come see me…" she muttered to herself.

Hanajima appeared beside her, holding up the finished bird. "Is it just me, or are the waves exceptionally emotional today? This bird's tears affect the waves, I believe…"

Arisa Uotani couldn't tell if Saki Hanajima was joking, or if she was trying to tell her something.

Hell, how can she tell the difference if she couldn't distinguish star-crossed love from a hopeless case of romance?

Kureno and Arisa both didn't see the big thing called 'Case Two' coming their way. Nobody did. That is, except for Saki Hanajima, who might have felt the waves.

Yes, nothing was ever going to be the same again for Kureno and Arisa.

Nothing.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Once again, I believe this is terrible. I hate making introductions because they turn out somewhat forced, don't they? I just feel the need to make them. Anyway, I hope people are still actually reading this. Hopefully so. Well, to get you people worked up, I shall tell you that Case Three will be dedicated to a Mabudachi member and his loved one. Is it Shigure, Hatori, or Ayame? Find out. Read Case Two first. Please. :D_

_Review and/or favorite and/or alert and/or message and/or WHATEVER. As long as I receive an indication that my cousin isn't the only one reading this, then I shall be happy. The author's notes will actually get shorter, and I will be EXTREMELY glad. _

_Please and thank you, from Pasta W 19. :P  
_


	8. Case Two Kureno & Arisa: Part 1 Shigure

Fruits Basket

For Justice, Romance, and Good Health

**OPENING NOTES: **Hey, I haven't updated in approximately two weeks and a day. Great, no? I am not going to lie; I was procrastinating. Yeah, and I give you a chapter that isn't as long as my usual chapters. But hey, at least you get a chapter that's longer than the introduction, right? Uh-huh, I'm really pathetic.

Never mind that, though. I don't own Fruits Basket- Natsuki Takaya does. Enjoy this new chapter! Seriously, take it or leave it. :P

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Case Two: Kureno and Arisa

Part One: Shigure

"Honda-san, what's wrong?"

Tohru Honda looked up from her untouched noodle soup. Yuki Sohma was staring at her worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong, Yuki… I'm just concerned."

Yuki was confused. "Concerned? For what? Um, or… for who?"

Tohru sighed and said, "Uo-chan has been acting strangely. Lately, she's been thinking about different things during school and doesn't really pay much attention to what she's doing."

"So you mean her head is in the clouds?" Yuki inquired.

"No. She isn't daydreaming, she's… thinking. Just thinking, like she has problems. She wouldn't tell me or Hana-chan anything, though," Tohru replied.

"I see."

Suddenly, the door slid open to reveal Shigure Sohma. He had a wide smile on his face as he glanced at the food on the table. He sat down and said, "So what's going on? Anything exciting in your young high school lives?"

"No, there's nothing you need to know about, Shigure," Yuki answered quickly before Tohru could say anything else. He knew that Shigure had the uncanny ability to meddle into other people's affairs.

Shigure stared at Yuki and shrugged, beginning his meal. Kyou, who was silent the whole time, glared at everyone. "I'm staying over at Shishou's this weekend."

This time, it was Tohru who stared. "What? Oh. Well, um, you better start packing, then, Kyou-kun…"

It was obvious that she didn't really want Kyou to leave but decided not to prevent him from spending time with Kazuma Sohma.

Shigure gazed at Tohru, then at Kyou. _Now that's another couple that needs help_, he thought to himself, _but not now. Not when I can see a second case coming our way… Two cases at once will be hard. But I'm not even entirely sure if this new information is a new case at all. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Just maybe…_

Yuki and Kyou started arguing about something again and Tohru just continued eating, not bothering to stop them. She was too worried about Uo-chan, anyway.

* * *

This was going too far.

Hatori Sohma couldn't exactly do _everything _for Akito. He had his own life too. Said cranky Zodiac god was very pissed off and was in a terrible mood when Kureno had finished tending to him.

Akito complained to Hatori. He was wondering if Kureno was with someone, and if he was busy daydreaming about girls or vacations in five-star resort beaches. Hatori had no idea how to answer this.

To cut it short, Kureno wasn't taking his time with Akito seriously and Akito took out his anger and confusion on poor Hatori.

And whenever Hatori would try to talk to Kureno about it, the rooster spirit would just say that he was fine and walk off thinking to himself.

Hatori had enough. He called Shigure.

"Shigure. Shigure. Shigure, listen to me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yuki and Kyou here are having a lively fight. It's hard not to eavesdrop. They're shouting and the windows are practically shaking! Their language is so colorful," Shigure commented, interestedly listening to the cat and the rat swearing at each other.

Hatori sighed exasperatedly. "Shigure, there are more important things in life than listening to two teenage boys curse each other."

All he got for a reply was, "Hatori, do you know what a brick shithouse is? And how the hell do you stick catnip up someone's ass?"

"SHIGURE!"

"Yes, dear?"

Hatori rolled his eyes. "Shigure. There's something wrong with Kureno. He's out of it lately and Akito's been complaining. It's like Kureno's sick- but he was perfectly fine when I last gave him a check up. So I think he's thinking about something. Do you have any idea what he could be thinking abou- Hey, are you listening?" Hatori broke off, narrowing his eyes at the phone.

"The chicken boy's thinking about something, hmm?" Shigure said offhandedly, contemplating on what he heard from Tohru during dinner. "Hatori, I think we just found ourselves a new case."

Hatori groaned. "A new case? You mean that matchmaking thing you and Ayame had me join?"

Shigure grinned. "Yeah."

"Involving who, may I ask?"

"Kureno Sohma and Arisa Uotani," Shigure answered triumphantly, going over a freshly-formed plan in his head.

Hatori sighed and hated how the dog spirit had a knack for these things. Of course Kureno was thinking about Arisa. And there was no denying that the girl was thinking about him too. "I am not getting involved in this."

"Oh yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"You already are."

"No, I am not!"

"Aw, come on! We get to help people, you know!" Shigure countered.

"No, you're not getting me with that anymore," Hatori snapped, "What makes you so sure that the two aren't perfectly capable of helping themselves?"

Silence. He had a good point.

Shigure replied quickly, "Well, all they're doing is _thinking_. Thinking, Hatori, thinking and isolating themselves from everyone else. Is that the mark of a couple being able to help themselves?"

He had struck a point as well.

"Fine. You got me. I'll help- as long as it doesn't have anything to do with making embarrassing phone calls like I did with Yuki," Hatori retorted impatiently, running a hand through his messy hair, "That was absolutely ghastly, you know."

"Don't worry. Aaya and I will be center stage for this one. You won't regret it," Shigure assured, smiling evilly.

It was ironic how Hatori had instantly started regretting his agreement as soon as this statement was said. All he had to do now was wait until Shigure gave him a signal to start his part of the unknown plan.

The plan that Hatori had dreaded so much to hear about the next day.

* * *

"Hello, this is Ayame Sohma speaking. What can I do to fulfill your wildest dreams?"

Shigure chuckled. "Well, I don't know. Maybe you should listen to my wonderful news."

"GURE!" Ayame exclaimed happily, "I have never been more delighted to hear your voice. Long time no see, my darling; have you been cheating on me?"

"Of course not. I only think of one, and that one is you, Aaya."

Ayame replied, "I will love you forever."

"And so will I," Shigure answered sweetly.

They both burst into laughter. "All right!"

"Anyway, I have some serious things to tell you," Shigure said, "Hatori and I have realized that there is a new case in our hands."

Ayame gasped dramatically. "Oh, that _is_ serious!"

"I know. And it happens to involve one of our dearest cousins Kureno," Shigure said, smirking, "He and Arisa Uotani have a deep relationship yet they both don't have the nerves or the conscience to step in and explore it any further. They both seem to think it's a hopeless case."

"But not for us. So, what should we do for them, Gure-san?" Ayame asked excitedly.

Shigure grinned. "I'm not sure yet. I'm still planning. Don't worry, though; I'll be able to tell you and Hatori tomorrow. It's sure to be a perfect plan…"

Ayame had instantly believed in Shigure as soon as this was said. He had no regrets or doubts whatsoever as to what the plans may be since his excitement overtook his worry. All he had to do was wait for Shigure to give him a signal to start his part of the unknown plan.

The plan that Ayame had awaited so much to hear about the next day.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Yeah, that's the only thing Shigure's going to do for this whole case. Plan and manipulate Hatori and Ayame into carrying out his plans. There's a good reason, though! Read on to the next chapters, and review. Please? I 'll give you a cookie! Anyway, the next chapter will feature Hatori, who shall give Kureno a second chance by- AHEM. Just read. :D  
_

-Pasta W 19. _  
_


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